It was great to read Love As A Way Of Life: Seven Keys To Transforming Every Aspect Of Your Life by Gary Chapman.
Chapman is also the author of the now-famous Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lasts. In this book, he shares how each of the following seven aspects applies to all five love languages:
- Kindness
- Patience
- Forgiveness
- Courtesy
- Humility
- Generosity
- Honesty
Here are my favorite quotes from the book:
Kindness
- Kindness is at its best when we don’t have to stop to think about it
- Never underestimate the power of kind words to change someone’s life.
- Initiate every conversation as though the person you are talking to is a friend.
- When you don’t know how to show love to someone ask her about herself.
Patience
- Patience: allowing someone to be imperfect.
- Being patient in one area of our lives helps us be patient and all areas.
- Patience could mean the difference between leaving a positive legacy or a negative one.
- Patience focuses on the problem, not the person.
Forgiveness
- Forgiveness alone does not restore trust, but without forgiveness, trust cannot be restored.
- No long-term positive relationships exist without forgiveness.
Courtesy
- If we believe every person we meet is valuable, courtesy will be inevitable.
Humility
- Humility acknowledges our weaknesses as parents but does not dwell on them.
- Receiving from others is a way of showing love.
- Accepting the help of others is one of the best and most difficult ways of fostering relationships.
Generosity
- When you seek to enrich the lives of others you find the most satisfying form of success.
- The more you give, the more true wealth that you have.
Living With Love
- Whatever your job is today, it can become an expression of love.
- We love or fail to love out of habit.
- The average lifespan of the “in love” feeling is two years.
Other Thoughts on Living
- The most important thing may not be the most urgent thing.
- It takes time and energy to have an enemy at work.
- Self-centered living is an addictive cycle that can be broken.
- Anger should be a visitor not a resident.